RollerCoaster Tycoon:Manual of Style
If this is your first visit to the RollerCoaster Tycoon Wiki, you should read this guide first. This Manual of Style has been created to give a standard theme to all articles falling under the scope of the Wiki. Editors should familiarize themselves with standard article layouts and templates, and follow when possible these standards, to create a Wiki that is uniform in appearance, and best able to provide needed information. __TOC__ Style Guidelines A wiki with cohesive style in all articles looks more professional, is easier to edit and add information to, and is easier to read, understand, and draw information from. Therefore, these guidelines are established for articles on this Wiki. Articles should: *Follow naming conventions - Wikipedia has a convention it adheres to in article names. Generally, only the first word of a title is capitalized, while subsequent words are lowercase. Exceptions exist when article titles are proper nouns (such as Chris Sawyer or Loopy Landscapes). Articles that do not adhere to this convention may be renamed (moved) so that it does. :*Rule of Thumb: If the words for an article title are written in a sentence, and they are not capitalized, then the title itself should not be capitalized (except the first word). *Have a logical structure - Navigation in an Article should be common-sense and understandable, and should present information in an orderly fashion. *Have some images - Images that illustrate the topic of a page are essential, but too many images or images crowded together serve little purpose and distract from the topic of a page. *Be easily readable and easily editable - Articles should avoid complicated or confusing templates or layouts, since these may be difficult for editors to make improvements to. *Have correct spelling and grammar. :*See Differences in the English Language below for rules on different grammar and spelling styles. *Be categorized General Article Guidelines These apply to most articles on the wiki. Editors Should... *'bold' the title/topic of the page, and include it in the first sentence of the page. *Italicize game titles wherever they appear in an article. Also italicize abbreviations such as RCT *include templates and guides that help create uniform-looking articles. *highlight articles that require more information by using the appropriate templates. *add articles to categories that the articles belong in. *use good spelling, grammar and punctuation (see ''Differences in the English Language'' below). *add paragraph or section breaks periodically to break up information and avoid a "cluttered" look. *add information to pages in a manner that flows with the rest of the article. *add links in pages to other related subject matter. *promptly remove, fix or address broken (red) links. *add available relevant pictures or images to articles that lack images. *cite facts and information obtained from non-game sources, such as websites, when information is included in an article. Editors Should Not... *discuss edits or article content on the article page itself. **instead, editors should keep all discussions on the talk page. *put user/editor names or signatures on an article page. *indicate ownership of an article or page *take information from sources without properly citing the sources. :*information taken from the game(s) does not require a direct citation if there is community consensus as to its accuracy. *use the words 'I', 'My', 'You', or 'Your' unless absolutely necessary. (This happens often in scenario guides) **instead, editors should use the words 'Players', 'Users', 'People', etc. so that articles are in a proper point-of-view. In-Game Articles In-Game articles include articles for Rides, Scenarios, Scenery, etc. In-Game articles should follow these following concepts: *include Scenario and Ride templates, when available and when appropriate. *always reference which game(s)/expansion(s) the Scenario, Ride, object, etc. is available in. *use names as they are given in the game. **when there may be differences between different games, or versions of games, make it clear to all readers. *Adhere as closely as possible to other preexisting pages and templates. *cite information that is included in an article but not derived from the game itself. Real-Life Articles Real-Life articles include articles about companies, game designers, or the games themselves. These articles should adhere to the following concepts: *Do not copy exact text from sources, including Wikipedia, unless that information is quoted and referenced to its source. **See plagiarism *Include only proven, factual information on a subject **Citing Wikipedia is OK, but be sure to include references to the source in Wikipedia. **Citing reputable websites, with proper references, is acceptable. Differences in the English Language As this is an English-language wiki, there is the potential for disagreements regarding the use of certain versions of English. For example, the difference between American English and British English in the spelling of common words (color/colour) or the use of certain phrases not well-known in other English-speaking locations. In cases of mere spelling discrepancies, articles should be made uniform in spelling, but edits should not be made simply to change the spelling of words to reflect an editor's native spelling. However, if a phrase or term is used that is not widely-known in other parts of the English-speaking world, words or phrases that are more universally-understood should be used instead. Terminology for Article Titles, Ride Boxes, Images ect. Many similar rides and shops go with different names in various versions of RCT. These are caused by differences in British and American versions, and variations between RCT1 and RCT2. Major or controversial names or moves were open to community discussion and decision. After a discussion among the most active editors the issue was resolved by the following rule: The general policy is to use the original British names as the game originates in Great Britain, and RCT2 names because it is the later/newer version of the classic 2D games. It's especially important to use consistent naming for ride boxes and their associated images, as these can break if names do not match.